1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a closing device for a washing machine or a clothes dryer with a machine door that locks a loading opening and which has a closing piston mounted to the machine door hinged to the machine housing and a lock in the area of the loading opening, whereby the lock is provided with a latching element that brings the closing piston into a latching closed position when the machine door closes and releases it in an open position when the machine door is opened.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are various designs for such closing devices. The machine door can be held in the closed position by latching the closing piston in the lock during the running of the program until the washing drum comes to a stop.
However, as EP 0 533 635 B1 shows, the release of the look can also be brought about by an actuating element in the doorframe, e.g. a push button.
A closing device of the initially-cited kind is also disclosed in DE 43 39 621 C2 in which where the latching elements have one released or open position and two different closed positions. One of these closed positions is a pre-latched position that allows a demonstration of the machine with the opening and closing of the door, whereas the other closed position requires the machine to be electrically connected.
In particular for large loading openings and heavy machine doors, the disadvantage is that the closing element mounted on the machine door, be it a piston or a hook, depending on the tolerances of the coupling and the play of the machine door, does not reliably interact with the latching element of the lock in the door frame of the machine housing.
The problem of the invention is to create a closing device of the initially-cited kind that in a simple way brings about an automatic compensation of the tolerances and play between the closing element and the latching element without providing the closing device whit a complicated mechanism.
This problem is solved according to the invention in that the closing piston in the door rim is to a limited extent horizontally adjustable, and with its nose is alignable with the latching element in a receiving element of the door frame around the loading opening.
The closing piston with its limited horizontal adjustability in the door rim takes over the horizontal alignment, whereas with the outer contour of the closing piston the receiving element in the door frame effects not only the adjustment of the closing piston but also its vertical alignment and according raises or lowers the machine door to ensure the precise engagement between the closing piston and the latching element when the machine door is closed. This is achieved with simple parts: a separate closing piston and design of the receiving element thereof. The closing piston is already adjusted the first time the machine door hinged to the machine housing is closed. Another advantage of the new closing device is that the closing piston is easy to install and replace. The machine door is also sufficiently secure during transport.
According to one embodiment, the installation of the closing piston is facilitated in that the closing piston as a separate part can be snapped into the door rim and is to a limited extent adjustable with pins or fixings screws in horizontally aligned slots.
To achieve a precise adjustment of the closing piston and the latching element the nose is provided with a vertically aligned closing opening, and its outer contour and the receiving contour of the receiving element in the door frame are adapted to each other in such a way that when the machine door closes the closing piston is alignable with the latching element of the lock.
According to one embodiment, the releasable and adjustable position of the closing piston in the rim of the door is designed in such a way that the horizontal slots of the closing piston are on a fastening plate of the closing piston. The fastening plate is introduced with an L-shaped retention piece into a retention receptacle in the door rim and grips behind it, and catch spring on the fastening plate snaps into a catch receptacle in the door rim. Replacement of the closing piston is facilitated in that an actuating end of the spring sticks up extends through a hole in the fastening fixing plate of the closing piston and can be actuated from the rear of the machine door.
The machine door is locked and released according to an advantageous embodiment in that the latching element is designed as a catch with two stable positions that can be set and held with a tipping spring device. In the open position an actuating leg of the latching element extends into the movement path of the nose and in the closed position a latching leg of the latching element is inserted into the closing opening in the nose and held there.
To improve the operation of the lock, the latching element can also be hinged to a lever that is so arranged in the door frame as to pivot to a limited degree.
To improve safety, the machine can be equipped with a child lock that is characterized in that the door rim is provided with a child lock designed as an adjustable spacer which releases the machine door lock in one position and prevents the door from locking in the other position.